


Haunted

by ACuckoo



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Blood, Established Relationship, M/M, Turtlecest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-20 07:23:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10657707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ACuckoo/pseuds/ACuckoo
Summary: It's no secret that Leo and Donnie love each other dearly, but that doesn't mean they don't have their fights. This latest fight, however, leaves Leo wondering if his family will ever forgive him for his actions. Trusting him now is easier said than done.





	Haunted

**Author's Note:**

> Relationships are far from perfect and I really wanted to write my favorite TMNT pairing having an argument... Unfortunately this argument happened to escalate. A lot happens, but I hope you stick with it and enjoy all the drama! I'll eventually post this on DA as well (where I post nearly all of my TMNT stories) but I wanted to try this one here first. Thanks!

Leo had never wanted to hurt someone so badly in his life before. Red flooded his vision and it took everything inside of him to not simply grab his sword and teach his supposed lover a well deserved lesson. His mind wasn’t even registering what Donatello was saying anymore; the only thing he knew was that whatever he was saying about him didn’t hold an ounce of kindness or affection. Any love he felt for the other turtle was completely forgotten. Their sweet moments of kisses and hugs were nothing but long, distant memories and the future seemed to only hold anger and disappointment.  

 

“Shut the hell up, Donnie! You think you’re so much better than all of us because you’re smart? Because you think you’re some kind of genius?”

 

“I _am_ a genius and if it weren’t for me you would be useless!”

 

“Useless? Without me you wouldn’t even know what to do with your damn intellect! You would be in the garage all day fixing cars and playing with spare parts! At least I put you to good use!”

 

“Don’t talk about me like I’m some kind of tool!”

 

“You are!”

 

By this point Raphael and Mikey had stopped trying to break the two up. They had never seen either of them this angry before. They had never heard them scream at anyone the way they were screaming at each other now. It was almost frightening. Raphael personally wished they didn’t have their weapons on them. He knew how easy it was to grab the nearest weapon and use it without even thinking. Muscle memory was a useful and sometimes frightening thing. In this case he hoped it wouldn’t kick in.

 

“I can’t believe you would say that about me.” Donnie’s voice was as sharp as his glare. “You really just look at me like I look at my wrench or screwdriver. Just a tool.”

 

“And you look at me like I’m nothing! You don’t respect me at all!”

 

“Respect is earned, Leo! You’re nothing but an arrogant know-it-all who thinks he’s great and for what? What have you done for us, Leo? You think I can’t do anything without your command? You’re the one who needs me, Leo, not the other way around!”

 

“Like hell I need you. The team is fine without you! I’m perfectly fine without you!”

 

“What exactly are you saying? You want to break up with me now? Huh? Is that what you want, Leo?”

 

Splinter watched the two fight with a stare as metallic as steel. He had watched the fighting for a while now, letting Donnie and Leo scream out their feelings that he knew were far from true. He knew that Donnie respected Leo. He knew Leo felt that Donnie was a necessary part of the team. And he knew the two of them loved each other dearly. Splinter hadn’t seen how this particular fight had started, but he could only assume it broke out over nothing but Leo’s stubbornness and Donnie’s impatience with those who rushed him. Splinter had no idea what Leo had asked the other turtle to make and he had no idea why he needed it so quickly, but Donatello was not one who liked to be rushed. For a fight this large to occur over nothing….

 

“I’ve had enough!” Splinter stabbed his staff into the ground, instantly silencing the screaming. He glared at his two sons, slowly making his way over to them. “This has gone on long enough. Go and calm down, you two. Now!”

 

They hesitated to move, which instantly made Mikey and Raph worry. No one dared to disobey Master Splinter. They waited for the repercussions their brothers would suffer, but before Splinter could do anything Leo spoke. It was quiet. His voice was barely a whisper, yet everyone heard the horrible words that escaped him.

 

“I hate you, Donnie.”

 

Donnie didn’t have a chance to say anything before Leo turned on his heel and stormed not to his bedroom, but to the dojo. He slammed the sliding doors shut with all of them staring after him, and it was only a few moments later that they heard him practicing with his swords, no doubt attacking an imaginary Donatello. A heavy silence cascaded over the others before a quiet murmur of “Likewise” penetrated the tension filled atmosphere. Donnie covered his face with his hands and made his way to his lab, also slamming the large doors as hard as he could. A depressing air hung over the three left in the living room. They struggled to understand what had just happened. None of the four brothers had ever fought with each other with so much intensity, so much anger.

 

“They don’t really hate each other.” Mikey finally spoke up, his voice trembling.

 

“Of course they don’t, Michelangelo.” Splinter sighed as he took a seat on the couch between his sons. “I have taught you boys to love one another, to always take care of one another, to be there for one another. Fights are inevitable. You four will sometimes disagree and that may lead to fights, but at the end of the day those arguments do not matter. We are family.”

 

“Do you think Donnie and Leo will make up soon?” Mikey asked.

 

Splinter hesitated to answer. “I don’t know about soon. But they will. They must.”

 

****

 

The rest of the day had been quiet save for Leo’s occasional grunts, pants, or yells from the dojo as he tried to release his stress. Everyone walked on eggshells even though Donnie and Leo had separated for the time being. Mikey was scared to be too noisy and even Raph was nervous that the slightest thing would set his brothers off again and they would fly out of their rooms and all but kill each other. At this point he couldn’t say with confidence that they wouldn’t actually hurt one another.

 

“I don’t like this,” Mikey finally said after hours of silence.

 

“Me neither. But they’re not going to make up so quickly.” Raph rolled his eyes as he settled on the couch with a comic, handing another to his little brother. “We’ll just wait it out, okay?”

 

The mood was finally starting to lighten, if only a little. The lightning that seemed to have been crackling in the lair settled, and Raph and Mikey could see just a small ray of light through the dark storm clouds. Their hope was rekindled even more when the doors to the lab slowly opened and Donnie stepped out. Mikey didn’t hesitate to go over to him, and take him in his arms. It hurt to look into those red, puffy eyes and know that there was really nothing he could do for his broken hearted brother.

 

“It’ll be alright,” Mikey told him. “Leo can’t stay mad forever.”

 

“Wanna bet?”

 

“Yeah! You have to build me a new computer if Leo stays mad for the rest of his life!”

 

The chuckle lightened the air even more. Perhaps there was a chance for Leo and Donnie to fix this after all. Mikey led Donnie to the couch and sat him between himself and Raph, though Donnie couldn’t keep his eyes off of the dojo. It had finally fallen into silence just like the rest of the lair.

 

“Do you think he’s meditating?”

 

“Maybe,” Raph said, leaning against Donnie. “I would leave him alone for a bit longer.”

 

“I want to see him.”

 

“I would leave him alone,” Raph repeated slower, as if Donnie hadn’t heard him the first time.

 

“It’s not like I’m not mad either, Raph.”

 

“Exactly. If you go in there to talk to him you guys are just going to fight again. I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. Just leave him alone. I would wait until tomorrow if I were you.”

 

“Well, you’re not me.” Donnie stood, though he was stopped in his tracks by Mikey grabbing his wrist. Donnie looked down at his brother, and though he noticed the desperate look in his eyes he decided to ignore it.

 

“You two will just fight again,” Mikey told him. “Leave him alone for now, Donnie. I don’t want to hear you guys fight like that again.”

 

He couldn’t do that. After all Leo and Donnie had been through, after how hard it had been for them to accept their love for one another, after the endless nights of guilt and crying and trying to accept their relationship, Donnie refused let their hard work fall to pieces. He refused to allow such a small hurdle stop them right in their tracks. An argument, no matter how big or small, was nothing in the grand scheme of things and Donnie needed to make it right. Immediately.

 

He jerked his hand out of Mikey’s grasp and was grateful that neither of his brothers followed him to the dojo. It took him a while to gather up his courage, but once he did he slowly opened the door, stepped inside, and then closed it again. The two of them would need their privacy if they were to hash anything out.

 

Leo was sitting on his knees in front of the large tree, his swords resting on either side of him. His eyes were closed and Donnie could only assume he had fallen into a deep meditation. It was something he had always admired about the eldest turtle. Leo was the most spiritual out of all of them. Donnie was sure that when Mikey and Raph meditated they just closed their eyes and thought about video games or comics or fell asleep. Even he had trouble keeping focus for so long. But for Leo it came naturally. In a room full of three loud turtles playing fighting games or arguing over who got the last slice of pizza, Leo could transport himself to another world entirely and find an inner peace that Donatello could only hope to one day experience.

 

Leonardo was truly divine.

 

Perhaps Mikey was right. Perhaps he should wait until Leonardo had time to think things over before he bothered him. Still, it was hard. It was hard to leave things be when Donnie so desperately wanted to fix them. He didn’t want to lose what they had. He didn’t want to remain awkward or nervous around Leo when all he needed to do was tell him how much he loved him.

 

He had to talk to him. He had to.

 

“Leo?” Donnie called quietly to him so as not to startle him out of his meditative state. The leader didn’t move. The longer it took to get his attention the more annoyed Donnie became. Each moment that passed was another moment they could be making up. After calling to him a few more times Donnie finally gave up and walked to Leo, resting a hand on his shoulder.

 

He didn’t realize how much he had startled the other until it was too late.

 

His throat hurt. His arm hurt. It was difficult to move. It was difficult to breathe. He couldn’t swallow. He couldn’t move his arm. His vision was blurry, but there was one thing he could see clearly. Leonardo stood frozen in his stance, holding one sword deep in Donnie’s arm and the other behind him after it had cut across Donnie’s neck. His face looked less intimidating. As if time had slowed down, the genius turtle could read every emotion that crossed Leo’s face. He was angry at first, his eyes narrowed and pure white. Then he was shocked. The color had returned to his eyes and his mouth was agape. Then he was scared. He began trembling and breathing harshly as tears quickly filled his eyes and ran down his cheeks. He let go of his swords, one clattered to the ground and the other stayed planted in Donnie’s arm.

 

“D-Donnie?”

 

Poor Leo couldn’t pull his eyes away from the sight in front of him. Donnie wondered how bad he looked, but the thought quickly passed. All he could register was the pain and how frighteningly fast it was leaving him. That, and the fact that it was his lover who did this to him. How angry was he to have reacted like this? What had he been thinking about all this time for his instincts to take over to this degree?

 

“You… You really… You really hate me, don’t you?”

 

Donnie fell backwards just as Leo screamed his name. Leonardo panicked for a few seconds before he flew into action.

 

“Somebody help me! Please, someone get over here! Help me!”

 

Raph and Mikey rushed into the dojo, though they were stopped in their tracks by the sight before them. Leonardo’s hands were covered in blood as he pressed them to the wound on Donnie’s neck, and blood pooled around what appeared to be their brother’s lifeless body.

 

“What have you done?” Raph’s voice shook as he staggered towards the other two. “What the hell did you do, Leo?!”

 

“I didn’t mean it! I didn’t! I didn’t mean it! I-I just… I wasn’t thinking! I didn’t think! I just--I don’t know! I just--”

 

“Calm down,” Splinter’s voice entered the fray, though Leonardo didn’t hear it.

 

“No, no, no, no! Donnie, stay with me! Come on, Donnie! Stay with  me!”

 

Leo’s tears mixed with the blood that had pooled around him and Donnie. He continued to encourage his injured brother, not having realized that Splinter had appeared beside him. He carefully, though forcefully, pushed Leo aside as he tore a piece of his robe and pressed it to Donnie’s neck.

 

“Go find me a towel. There should be a first aid kit in the bathroom. I need it now, Leonardo.”

 

“I didn’t do this on purpose. I didn’t, father. I really didn’t.”

 

“I know. Go, Leonardo. I need supplies if I’m to help your brother.”

 

Leo nodded quickly as he ran. His mind spun and he had trouble remembering where his father had told him to go. He sprinted haphazardly around the lair until he wound up in the washroom. His hands trembled uncontrollably as he grabbed several towels, though he couldn’t find the first aid kit. His body shook and tears stung his eyes as he began knocking things off of counters, tossing random items out of cabinets, and eventually dropping the towels so he could use both hands to search in every nook and cranny.

 

“What the hell is taking you so long, Leo?!” Raph screamed as he ran into the bathroom, grabbed the discarded towels, and quickly found the first aid kit. He had screamed something else at his brother, but Leo didn’t hear it. His eyes were full of water as he stared after the other turtle, not daring to leave the safety of the washroom. If he left this place then the reality of what he had done would hit him full force. He would have to look at all of the blood that littered the dojo. He would have to acknowledge that it was his fault this happened.

 

“It was an accident.”

 

Who would believe him? After their massive fight, who would believe that he didn’t hurt his brother on purpose? He stabbed his arm. He sliced his neck. He nearly killed him. What if he had?

 

“No.”

 

No, Donatello was stronger than that. There was no way Leo did something so terrible. The cut wasn’t as deep as it looked. The damage to his arm would be minimal. Really, it wasn’t so bad. Donnie was probably overreacting to try and scare Leo since he was so mad at him. That was all. That had to be it.

 

It had to be.

 

“D-Donnie….” Leonardo slowly made his way out of the washroom. His legs drove him forward, though all he wanted to do was turn around and run. He didn’t want to face the truth. He couldn’t. This was just a joke. Donnie was angry and he was messing with him. It was a joke.

 

“He’s playing with me.”

 

The frantic cries were hardly false. Mikey’s sobbing was as real as Leo’s tears. The blood that surrounded Donnie’s limp body was thick and continued to pour from his grotesque wounds. Splinter was covered in that blood just as Leo’s hands were. It didn’t seem real. This felt like something out of a horror movie. It couldn’t be real.

 

Splinter was saying something about keeping pressure to the wound on Donnie’s neck. Something about stitches. Something about removing the sword from Donnie’s arm. Leo didn’t really hear any of it. All he could hear was a loud ringing and his own heavy breathing, muffling out any of the voices around him. He thought he said his brother’s name, but he was unsure. His cloudy vision took in the forgotten sword on the ground. He staggered towards it and picked it up, cringing at how unfamiliar it looked. The blood that was leaking from Donnie’s wounds had seeped into the carpet and had also stained the discarded sword. He had never seen it covered in blood. He had never seen anything drip from it. There was never a time he couldn’t see his reflection in it, but now… It was so red.

 

A second sword had been tossed aside right in front of Leo. The steel was just as red as the one he held in his hand. Did Donnie scream when it was taken out? He didn’t hear a scream. He was grateful he didn’t. Even if Donnie had screamed he wanted to pretend that he didn’t. He wanted to pretend he didn’t hurt Donnie so badly. He wanted to pretend he hadn’t yelled so harshly at him just a few hours earlier. He wanted to pretend that he told Donnie he loved him, that he was the best asset to this team, that they would literally be nothing without him. If only he had told him that he loved him more than anything in the world instead of saying those other horrible things.

 

“I-I don’t hate you, Donnie. I really don’t. I’m sorry.”

 

Leo fell to his knees, his eyes staring at the red sword that he still clutched tightly. “I don’t hate you,” he repeated, though he didn’t notice that Donatello was no longer in the room with him. He didn’t realize hours had passed. He didn’t realize Mikey and Raph had been trying to get him to snap out of his daze for so long now.

 

“Leo? Are you there, bro?” Mikey’s voice was a comfort to Leo. He mumbled his little brother’s name or he thought he did anyway. Mikey called to him several more times, then eventually he took a hold of Leo’s shoulders. “Snap out of it! Wake up!”

 

Leonardo blinked a few times, and his eyes eventually focused on the orange-masked turtle in front of him. “Where’s Donnie?” he asked immediately.

 

“Recovering.” Raph’s answer came quick and abruptly, though he refused to look at his older brother. It was Mikey who followed up.

 

“Splinter took good care of him. He patched up his arm and neck. His arm was pretty messed up, but the wound on his neck wasn’t as bad as it looked. I mean, you know, it’s still bad, but Splinter thinks he tried to back up when he realized… You know. You were attacking. It’s not as deep as we all thought it was.”

 

“I didn’t mean it, Mikey. I didn’t. It was an accident.”

 

“I know, bro. You would never hurt one of us. No matter how badly we fight.”

 

“I didn’t mean it,” Leo repeated, looking down at his blood stained hands. “He’s really okay, though? Really?”

 

“Yeah. He’ll make it. He’ll be out of commission for a while, but he’ll be okay.”

 

“I really didn’t mean it. You know I didn’t mean it, Mikey. You know I didn’t.”

 

“I know, bro. I know. Come on. Let me help you wash your hands. And uhh… Splinter took your swords to you know. Wash them too. But he said he couldn’t clean them with water so he did something else but I didn’t ask. They’ll be clean though.”

 

“Clean? Oh… You mean…”

 

Clean of Donnie’s blood.

 

Leonardo trembled as Mikey helped him stand. The room spun around him and if it weren’t for Mikey holding onto him he would have fallen back down to the ground. Together they made their way to the washroom where Leonardo let his little brother scrub his hands clean. The water in the sink turned red, and the sight of it made Leonardo sick to his stomach. That was his lover’s blood. It was proof that he had hurt Donnie and now that proof was getting flushed down the drain.

 

“There. All done. You feel okay, Leo?” Mikey asked as he handed the other a towel. Leonardo didn’t respond. He just held the towel in his hands, wondering what Donatello was doing now. Was he asleep? Had he woken up already? Was he thinking about Leo? And if he was then was he thinking about how much he hated him for yelling at him and hurting him?

 

“Donnie…” Leo muttered, then finally looked up at Mikey and handed him back the towel. “Can I see him? Where is he?”

 

Mikey shifted a bit, and his eyes looked everywhere in the room except Leonardo. When they finally did land on the other turtle, they were full of pain instead of the hope and happiness that they usually carried. It broke Leonardo’s heart. What he had done tore him to little pieces and he knew there was nothing he could do to make it right. Regardless of the fact that it was a mistake, he had still nearly killed his brother, his lover. Maybe Splinter was right and Donnie had seen Leo react and had stepped back to avoid the brunt of the hit. Had Donnie not been so quick right as Leonardo cut him they all would have been down one brother and somehow Leonardo would have had to live with that. He would have had to live with the fact that he killed Donnie.

 

But he was alive. The smartest of them all had escaped death, but he was still holding on dearly for his life. And all Leo wanted to do was see him, look him in his eyes, and apologize.

 

“Mikey? Where is he? Is he in his room? In Splinter’s room? Yours? Just… Just please tell me where he is.”

 

“Leo, I don’t… I mean…” Mikey sighed heavily and shook his head. “I don’t think he wants to see you. He’s awake and he can’t talk well, but he managed to tell us that he wanted to be left alone. And I don’t think you’re an exception, you know.”

 

That was unacceptable. Leo refused to hear that, to believe that. Without another word he stormed off, ignoring the calls for him to come back and made his way to Donnie’s room. He didn’t barge in out of respect for the injured one that he knew would be inside. He slowly opened the door, peeked his head in, and saw his lover lying on his back in his bed. From the door he could see the bandages around his neck and on his arm. They weren’t bleeding, and Leo assumed that Splinter had stitched the wounds. The room was only partly lit, and he shut the door as he stepped in the dim light. His footsteps were quiet, as if he were sneaking up on an enemy, and he sat down softly on the bed and took Donnie’s hand in his own.

 

“Donnie?” he whispered. A smile crossed his face when the other opened his eyes. “Donnie, I’m so happy to see you. I’m so, so happy to see you, sweetie. I can’t apologize enough. I don’t even know where to begin! I—“

 

“Leo.” Donnie’s voice was hoarse, scratchy, and barely above a whisper. He didn’t look at Leo when he spoke. He didn’t move at all. He simply let his hand fall limp in the other’s and said, “You hurt me… So much today. I can’t… I… I can’t. Just go. Please.”

 

“Donnie?”

 

“Leo, please. Just go. Go away. Please.”

 

If Donnie had been capable of screaming he would have. If he had the strength to slap Leo, to kick him, to throw him out of his room, he wouldn’t have hesitated to do it. Leo knew this. He knew that Donnie wanted nothing to do with him, and it was with this in mind that he reluctantly let go of his lover’s hand and slowly made his way out of the bedroom.

 

“He’ll never forgive me.”

 

Mikey rushed to Leo and held his sobbing brother, who quietly begged for forgiveness into the youngest one’s neck. They both knew that it would take more than tears to earn Donnie’s trust again.

 

So much more.

 


End file.
